A volunteer group intent on restoring Ngā Tapuwae o Toi walkway at West End is urging the public to go along and support them at a Whakatāne District Council meeting tomorrow.

Headed by Whakatāne residents Austin Oliver and Angus Robson, the group say they can restore the track at a fraction of the cost of council contractors.

“We reckon, as volunteers, we can do it for probably $30,000 to $40,000. Nearly all of that is design cost,” Mr Robson said.

The West End portion of the walkway that connects Ōhope Beach with Otarawairere Bay has been closed since October 2022 because of a slip.

The council approved a budget of $200,000 for track reinstatement as part of a district-wide storm damage repairs programme, but a further slip in September 2023 caused delays and additional investigation.

The council received funding of $451,000 from the Tourism Infrastructure Fund through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment in August 2023, prior to the second slip.

This funding is being held indefinitely while reinstatement works are investigated.

To date, approximately $100,000 has been spent on initial designs and drawings for the first slip and subsequent geotechnical assessments and a Quantitative Landslide Risk Assessment.

Mr Robson said the council had knocked back previous approaches from the group out of fear it would be liable for any injury under health and safety legislation.

However, after researching the issue, he believes this is not true.

“I’ve spoken to Worksafe, a minister, top health and safety lawyers, Local Goverment New Zealand and even the people who drafted the original law. If we follow health and safety protocols, then there’s no more risk to the council than if contractors did the work.

He has spoken to Lions, Rotary, the surf  club, the surf school, the Otarawairere community and tramping and sports clubs, and 500 people have already signed a petition to say they support volunteers opening the track.

“Not because we could only get 500 people, but because they were the first 500 people we approached.”

He said many of those people had ticked a box on the petition offering help with the project, whether it was through giving money, physically helping or providing expertise.

“We’ve got all the skills and all the money and all the will in the world,” Mr Robson said.

Mr Robson and Mr Oliver will make a 10-minute presentation to council during the public forum at the council’s ordinary meeting, beginning at 9am tomorrow.